Temperature stable transistor amplifier



Dec. 6, 1960 s. R. PARRIS TEMPERATURE STABLE TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER Filed May 26, 1959 S|l|con S'mge Thermal Drif 1'.

Resultant Amplifier Oufpuf Drift CENTIGRADE- Germanium S'ruge Thermal Drlff.

OUTPUT UTILIZATION CIRCUIT INVENTOR.

SAMUEL RALPH PARRIS AGENT SIGNAL SOURCE United States Patent TEMPERATURE STABLE TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER Samuel Ralph Parr-is, Ridley Park, Pa., assignor to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporaflon of Michigan Filed May 26, 1959, Ser. No. 815,976

8 Claims. (Cl. 330-17) which is the leakage current from collector-to-base when no emitter current is applied, increases exponentially with a rise in temperature. Further, the DC. current gain, or beta (B), of the transistor may increase with a rise in temperature. Other transistor characteristics vary with temperature changes but the aforementioned shifts in parameters are the most serious problem in the design of a temperature stable direct-coupled transistor amplifien.

In accordance with the present invention, a; transistor buffer amplifier is provided wherein the over-all thermal drift of the circuit is negligible over the design temperature range. The buffer amplifier comprises two cascaded stages, incorporating a silicon junction transistor in the input stage, and a germanium junction transistor in the output stage. The transistors are of opposite types of conductivity and, are connected as direct-coupled emitter followers in a complementary symmetry configuration. Variable impedance means are provided for adjusting the effective output impedance of the silicon stage. The voltage drop across this'efiective impedance is a functionof the collector cutofi current of the germanium stage which is caused to fiow therethrough. The present amplifier utilizes the latter voltage drop to compensate for the thermal drift which remains in the amplifier after the drift cancellation provided by the complementary symmetry arrangement of the transistors. The instant circuit configuration has particular application as an impedance transformer and is adapted to amplify small input signals from a source having a relatively high impedance and to supply the amplified signals to autilization circuit from a low impedance source. Circuit means are provided for eliminating any voltage offset which would otherwise exist as a component of the amplified signals due to the different electrical characteristics of the amplifier stages. 1

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved bufier amplifier circuit having a low thermal drift.

Another object of the invention is to provide a temperature-stable buffer amplifier utilizing only solid state electronic components. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a directcoupled transistor amplifier capable of receiving input signals from a relatively high impedance source and d elivering signalshaving substantially the same-amplitude from a low impedance source.

A Still further objectof the invention is' to provide a "ice temperature-stable direct-coupled amplifier circuit comprising a silicon transistor input stage and a germanium transistor output stage connected in complementary symmetry fashion and in which the characteristics of the silicon transistor may be easily adjusted to compensate more completely for the residual thermal drift of the amplifier.

A more specific object is to provide a buffer amplifier circuit having all of the aforementioned features and advantages in combination.

These and other features of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the amplifier stages presented to facilitate an analysis of the mode of thermal drift compensation;

Fig. 3 is a graph of the approximate thermal drifts expected respectively from the amplifier stages for the design temperature range, and the resultant thermal drift resulting from the combination of the two stages in the manner suggested in the instant invention.

An analysis of the amplifier circuit will be made with reference of Figs. 1 and 2. In each of the latter figures like reference numerals have been employed to designate similar components. Conventional graphical symbols have been used for the emitter, collector and base electrodes of each of the transistors. The positive and negative supply voltages for the transistors listed respectively in order of increasing absolute magnitude are V and --V1 -V2.

In consideration of Fig. 1, transistor 10 is a silicon NPN junction transistor, and transistor 20 is a germanium PNP junction transistor. Signals are supplied to the base of transistor 10 from a high impedance source 25, which impedance is represented by resistor 11. Diode 13 prevents the input signal level from going more than a few tenths of a volt negative, i.e., more negative than the voltage drop thereacross. Variable resistor 12 serves as a balance control to provide substantially zero voltage olfset between the signal input voltage and the output volt age. The emitter of transistor 10 is connected in series with variable resistor 14, resistor 15, and the negative supply V V which is decoupled from the transistors by series resistor 16 and shunt capacitor 17. The base of transistor 20 is connected to the junction of resistors 14 and 15 in the emitter circuit of transistor 10. A capacitor 18 is connected from the base of transistor 20 to ground in order to insure the low output impedance of the amplifier circuit at high frequencies of operation. The output signal appears on the emitter of transistor 20 and is coupled to a utilization circuit 35.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of the manner in which thermal drift is minimized by the present circuit configuration, it will be helpful to review in greater detail the effects of temperature on transistor parameters which must be considered when designing a germanium '2N247 for transistor 20. The change in the base-to-emitter junction voltage .is approximately -1.8

The collector current of transistor 10 and the emitter current of transistor 20 is provided by supply' value of resistor 11 in the following analysis.

'millivolts per degree centigrade for the germanium Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be assumed that the voltage offset through the amplifier is to be zero, i.e., with the signal input from source 25 equal to Zero, the output voltage, E on the emitter of transistor 20 will also be zero. In order to accomplish this, the. variable impedance 12 is adjusted such that the algebraic sum of the component of voltage Eb on the base of transistor '10, the base-to-emitter voltages Vbe; and. V172 of transistors 10 and 20 respectively, and the voltage drop across resistor 14 is zero. This relationship may be expressed:

The currents used' in the. latter equation will be accurate for only a single temperature, because of changes in B and: 100 with variations in. temperature. In practice, the value. of resistor 12 is made large compared with the value of the source impedance, resistor 11. Accordingly resistor 12 will bev considered to have. a negligible effect on. the

The current through resistor 12, as supplied by source V is substantially. constant throughout the circuit operation.

The. thermal drift of the silicon stage, transistor 10, will be determined. in the. following manner. The base current Ib of transistor 10 is a function of the current gainof transistor 10, designated B the current through resistor 14 designated Ie and the collector leakage current of transistor 10, I Thus, 1

. 1 I H2 I6 ICO; (2)

noted that resistor 15 in the emitter circuit of transistor.

is. considerably larger than. resistor 14. Current I which is the algebraic sum of the emitter current of. transistor 10, Ie and'the base current of transistor 20,

Ib whichincludes the collector, cutoff. current of. transistor 2 0, is substantially constant.

As the temperature incre.ases,B. and lco increase as' previously noted. Also the.v collector cutoff current of Sincev transistor 20, R0 increases. with. temperature; this latter current change causes a decrease in'lb currentjle must increase proportionately to keep current I Jc0nstant. In like manner changes. in B and: Ico will cause a decrease in the flow of, current Ib as the temperature rises, with the result that more of current I v will bediverted through resistor 11, the series impedance of source 25.

Compensation for driftnecessitates the determination of the change in Eb which results froma change in 1b; over the design temperature range; First, the value of 1b.; is computed for each of the two temperature limits of the design rangeby substituting in Equation 2 thev values of B 16 and. I'c0' corresponding respectively to the temperature limits. For example, if the amplifier" F-(A flt nl Inaddition, as mentioned previously, there is another voltage change. in transistor 10 resulting from the change.

lower limit of the design temperature range.

in the base-to-emitter junction voltage, Vbe over the design temperature range. This latter change may be designated AVbe The total thermal drift of the first stage, D is equal to the sum of AEb and AVbe for the design temperature range, thus,

D1=AEbI+AVbe1 Referring to Fig. 2, the thermal drift 'of' the second germanium stage may be computed in the same manner as thatdescribed for the silicon stage. In Fig. 2 they silicon stage is represented by a'voltage generator Eeq., and an effective output impedance Req. It is assumed in the succeeding, analysis that. the generator provides only a direct current component of voltage and that this voltage is of the properarnplitudeto make the output voltage, E equal to zero for the temperature at the It should be understood that. at the upper limit of the temperature range, Eeq. will increase positively by anamount equal to D the thermal drift'of the silicon stage. I The drift voltage expressions for the germanium stage due to changes in B and I00 the D.-C. current gain and the'collector cutoff current respectively of transistor 20,.

can be written in the sameform as Equations 2 and 3, that is and le is substantially a constant current sothat-the change in IE depends only on B and lco As in the analysis of the first stage, the value of 1b: is computedfor each of the temperatures at the extremes of the tem perature range. v Alba, which value is substituted in Equation 6.

The" absolute value of the total drift term for' the second stage D is:

D20=AEb2+AVbe V. I

to'but of opposite polarity. from the drift term of the second stage D This may be expressed:-

ra 20 Substituting from Equations 6 and 7, Equation 8 may be. rewritten as:

D ['(Albz) (Req.) +AVbe Equation 9is solved for Reql, the effective output im pedance of. the. silicon transistor stage. 'This'latte'r impedance consists of two series components,.first, the'out put impedance of transistor 1 0 which is a function or the-signal source impedance (resistor 11) and the D.-C. current gain of the latter transistor; and second, the -impedance of resistor 14. Thus-for zero thermal drift at the upper limit of temperature, the value of-resistor 14 is selectedas the difference between Req; and-'the-out- I put impedance of transistor 10. 7 1 4 r The graph of Fig. 3'i1lustrates;how the thermal drift" of the silicon; and. germanium stages respectively comof temperature with a slight cfirvaturefdownward' due to the hyperbolic form of drift due to variations in B fi-f' The drift of the second stage D is'a combina'tion ofa' nearly linear Vlie variation, a hyperbolic variation due The difl'erence in-the two values 'is* Thus in order to make the output voltto changes in B and an exponential drift caused by Ico, variations. The resultant drift of the compensated amplifier is designated Dr. Because of the exponential form of Ice, the absolute value of D will be less than that of D between 25 -C. and 55 C., and will be larger than D above 55 C.

While it will be understood that the circuit specfications for the basic buffer amplifier shown may vary according to the design or application, the following circuit parameters are included by way of example:

Supply voltages:

by .01 mfd. ceramic disc capacitor for high frequency bypassing. 18 56 mmfd.

It should be noted that the circuit as described is adapted to pass only positive polarity signals. By removing diode 13 and adjusting the operating points of transistors 10 and 20 in accordance with design procedures well-known in the art, the instant buffer amplifier can be made to pass bipolar signals.

The following performance data is exemplary for the embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. 1, namely, the amplifier circuit gain is 0.95; the input impedance, approximately 400,000 ohms; the output impedance, 30 ohms; the frequency band, zero cycles per second to two megacycles.

The output impedance of the amplifier is a function of the equivalent output impedance of the silicon transistor stage and the current gain of the germanium stage. At

higher frequencitx, on the order of one megacycle, the value of Reg. increases due to a drop in the value B the current gain of transistor 10. This effect is counteracted by the decrease in reactance of capacitor 18 as the frequency increases. The total eifect is an output impedance which is nearly constant up to one megacycle.

From the foregoing analysis it is evident that satisfactory temperature compensation has been achieved for a cascaded direct-coupled transistor amplifier. The present technique of temperature compensation utilizes the adjustment of the effective output impedance of the input amplifier stage, and the arrangement of the output stage in such a manner that the collector cutoff current thereof flows through said output impedance and develops a compensating voltage thereacross. The compensating voltage is of the proper amplitude and polarity to bias the output stage so as to compensate to a large extent for the temperature variations in the base-to-emitter junction voltages of both amplifier stages. This compensating effect is in addition to the compensation afforded by the complementary symmetry configuration, which latter compensation is inadequate for many applications.-

It should be noted that although the input and output amplifier stages have been described herein as incorporating respectively a silicon NPN and a germanium-PNP transistor, the use of opposite conductivity types of silicon and germanium transistors may also be employed as the respective input and output stages. This latterarrangement may be made in accordance with established design procedures well known to those skilled in the art. It is important, however, to note that the input stage should preferably exhibit a larger rate of change of base-to-emitter junction voltage for a given increment of temperature change as compared with a similar interelectrode voltage change for the output stage. Further, the collector cutolf current of the output stage should be larger than that of the input stage. Obviously if the signal source impedance is high, the collector cut off current of the input stage should be as small as possible to minimize thermal drift. These conditions are inherently met by the use of a silicon transistor in the input stage and a germanium transistor in the output stage. structed using two germanium transistors, the input stage would be unsatisfactory due to the relatively high collector cutoff current which would flow through the impedance of the signal source. 0n the other hand, the use of silicon transistors in both stages is not satisfactory for the following reasons. Silicon transistors having the same type number exhibit substantial dilferances in the base-to-emitter junction voltage variations with temperature. The present technique of adjusting the effective output impedance of the input stage would be ineffective since the collector cutolf current of the output stage and the compensating voltage produced thereby is relatively small as compared with germanium. Also the over-all drift of the output stage may already be larger Since other modifications of the amplifier variedto fit particular operating requirements will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the embodiment chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true scope of this invention. Accordingly, all such variations as are in accord with the principles discussed previously are meant to follow within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor amplifier comprising in combination a plurality of transistors, each of said transistors having an emitter, a base and a collector electrode,'each of said transistors having a base-to-emitter voltage drop which varies as a function of the ambient temperature, a first of said transistors having a negligible collector cutoff current, a second of said transistors having an appreciably larger collector cutoff current than said first transistor, the change in said base-to-emitter voltage drop of said first transistor being substantially larger than the corresponding change in the base-to-emitter voltage drop of said second transistor for a specified incremental change in said ambient temperature, said first and second transistors being of opposite conductivity types, the base electrode of said first transistor being adapted to receive input signals from a source thereof, impedance means connected to the emitter of said first transistor, the base of said second transistor being connected to said impedance means, the input signals amplified by said first transistor appearing across said impedance means, said collector cutoff current of said second transistor flowing through said impedance means and producing a voltage drop thereacross, means for deriving an output signal from the emitter electrode of said second transistor,

said latter output signal being substantially independent of the temperature variations of said transistors due to the compensation of the thermal drift voltages resultingv of said first and second transistors and the voltage drop,

Thus if the instant amplifier were to be con- 7 across said impedance means furnished by the collector cutofi'current off said second transistor.

F 2. A buffer amplifier comprising in combination a silicon transistor and a germanium transistor, each of said transistors having an emitter, a base and a collector electrode, said transistors being direct-coupled in complementary symmetry fashion, the base-to-emitter junction voltage and the collector cutoff current of each of said transistors being a function of temperature and the semiconductor material of which the transistor is formed, the base electrode of said silicon transistor being adapted to receive the input signals to be amplified, the signals amplified by said silicon transistor appearing across the effectiveoutput impedance of the latter transistor, means for varying the efiective output impedance of said silicon transistor, circuit means coupling the output signal of said silicon transistor to the base electrode of said ger-' manium transistor, the collector cutoff current of said germanium transistor flowing through the efiective output impedance of said silicon transistor, means for deriving output signal voltages from the emitter of said germanium transistor, said latter output voltages'being substantially independent of changes in the ambient temperature of said transistors due to the compensation of the thermal drift voltages resulting from the algebraic addition of the voltages appearing respectively across the base-to-emit'ter electrodes of said silicon and ger-' maniurn transistors and the voltage drop across said effective output impedance of said silicon transistor produced by collector cutoff current of said germanium transistor;

3. A cascaded semiconductor amplifier comprising in combination a pair of junction transistors, said transisters being connected as direct-coupled emitter follower stages arranged in complementary symmetry, each of said transistors having an emitter, a base and a collector electrode, the hase-to emitter junction voltage of each of sa'id transistors being a function of the ambient temperature, a first 'of said transistors having a negligible cutoff current, the second of said transistors having a substantial collector cutoff current, the change in said base-to emitter junction voltage of said first transistor being substantially larger than the corresponding change in the base-to-emitter junction voltage ofsaidsecond transistor for a specified incremental change in the ambient temperature, the base electrodeof said first transistor being adapted to receive input signals from asource thereof, a variable impedance element connected to the emitter electrode of said first transistor, the value of said impedance element determining the effective output im- 50 pedan'ce of said first transistor, the base electrode of said second transistor being connected to said impedance element, the collector cutoif current of said second transistor flowing through said impedance element and pro ducingta voltage drop thereacross, said latter voltage beingof the proper'amplitude and polarity to bias said second transistorxso as to compensate for residual variagermanium PNP junction transistor, said transistors being 1 connected as direct-coupled emitter follower stages arranged in: a complementary symmetry Configuration, 'each-of sai-d transistors having an emitter, a base and a collector electrode, the thermal variations in the electrical characteristics of each of-said transistors being a- V functionof the semiconductor material of which each is tonnes, the base of'said silicon transisto'rbeing' adapted tosreceive input signals from ah-ig-h-impedance-seurce, a*

5' silicon transistor appearing across said impedance ele-' ment, the base electrode of said germanium transistor being connected to said impedance element; the collector cut'ofl. current of said germanium transistor flowing through said impedance element and producing a voltage drop thereacross, said latter voltage drop being of the proper amplitude and polarity to bias said, germanium transistor in a manner to compensate for the larger'thermal rate of change of the base-to-emitter junction voltage of the silicon transistoras compared with. the

germanium transistor, the amplifier output voltage ap-V pearing on the emitter electrode of said germanium transistor being substantially unaffected by the thermal variations in bothofsaid transistors.

5. A cascaded direct-coupled amplifier comprising in combination a silicon NPN transistor and a germanium PNP transistor, each of said transistors having an emitter, a base' and a collector electrode, the base of said silicon transistor being adapted to'lreceive input signals from a high impedance source, variable impedance means connected to the base of said silicon transistor and to said high impedance source, said variable impedance means being adapted to supply a bias potential to the base of said silicon transistor, said bias potential being of the proper amplitude and polarity to cancel the offset voltage which would otherwise exist as a component of the amplified input signals because of the inherent difierence in the interelectrode voltage dropsof the respective transistors, a variable resistor having at least one tap ter-;

minal, said resistor" beingf connected-to the emitter el'ec- 3 5 trode of said silicon transistor, the adjustment of: said tap on said variable resistor varying the effective-output impedance of said silicon transistor, the base electrode of said germanium transistor being connected to said tap terminal, an impedance element coupledto the emitter of 40 said germanium transistor, said amplified input signals appearing across said impedance element, and circuitmeans coupled to the emitter electrode of said germanium transistor for utilizing said amplified signals.

6. A cascaded semiconductor amplifier comprisingin combination a silicon NPN junction transistor and a germanium PNP junction transistor, said transistorsbeing connected as direct-coupled emitter follower. stages arranged in a complementary symmetry configuration, the thermal variations in the electrical characteristics of each of said transistors being a function of the semiconsaid silicon transistor being adapted -to receive input signals from a high impedance source, variable impedance means coupled to the base of said silicon transistor and adapted to supply a bias potential to the base of said latter transistor, said bias potential being of the proper amplitude and polarity to cancel the offset voltage which would otherwise exist as a component of the amplified input signals due to the inherent difierence in the intereiectrode voltage drops of the respective transistors, a variable resistor having at'lcast onetap terminal, said resistor being connected to the emitter electrode of said 7 silicon transistor, .the adjustment of 'saidtap on said variable resistor determining the etiective output impedance of said silicon'transistor, the base electrode of said germanium transistor being connected to said tap terminal, the collectorjcutoff current of said germanium transistor flowingrthrough said variable resistor and producing'a' voltage drop thereacross, said latter voltage drop being of the proper amplitude and polarity to bias said germanium transistor 'in a manner'to compensate '7 for the larger thermal rate of change o f'the'bas'e-toemitter junction voltage of the silicon transistor as com pared with the germanium transistor, said amplified input signals appearing on'theemitter electrode of said ductor material of which each is formed, the base of germanium transistor being substantially unaffected by the thermal variations in both of said transistors, and circuit means coupled to the emitter electrode of said germanium transistor for utilizing said amplified signals.

7. A semiconductor amplifier as defined in claim 6 wherein said germanium junction transistor is a drift transistor having a resistivity gradient in the base region between the junctions thereof, said drift transistor having a high cutoff frequency and being adapted for high speed operation.

8. A semiconductor amplifier as defined in claim 6 including a capacitive element having a pair of terminals, one of said terminals being connected to the base electrade of said germanium transistor, the other of said terminals being connected to a source of reference potential, the decrease in the reactance of said capacitive element at high frequencies tending to compensate for increases in the effective output impedance of said silicon transistor at said higher frequencies, thereby insuring a low and relatively constant amplifier output impedance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

